The Promise of the World
by SoporaMathabane
Summary: An unusual Pokemon journey.
1. O Starless Night

O Starless Night

_"The Raven At His Writing Desk,_

_Mad? He just may be..._

_He sits and writes, and hopes and sings,_

_and waits to be set free..."_

The sky over Ariellan is starless on this brisk fall night. The grassy hills sway in time to the wind's breath, to and fro, cresting like the ocean waves. The only sign of life on this bleak landscape is a cluster of lights, nestled at the base of a massive twisted tree, easily taller than one of the towering skyscrapers Saffron is so fond of. As it is the season of autumn, the tree peppers the ground with earth-toned leaves which catch the moonlight as they pivot and twirl, like dancing stars.

The view sways across the tall fields, converging on the smattering of lights- a small town called Lancass.

The very edge of it is dark, illuminated only by the brimming full moon, but it is enough for the farm children of Lancass to see by. This corner of the town houses only a sprawling, dilapidated building known to the children just as 'the old hospital', and then only in whispers. It is your typical haunted building, an old wooden thing long past its days of usefulness. It tilts just slightly, and sags at the edges, and these days the only thing keeping it erect is the sentimentality of the elderly. There is a just-as-old fence enclosing it and at this moment, five children are perched on it. One of them is motioning toward the single wooden spire on the far end of the building, like a jagged splinter, and its half-moon shaped window.

"That one, the little half-circle," the child says boldly, "And then come right back down. Okay?" He turns to face a much smaller boy.

"Why can't I go to one of the other ones? On the first floor?" The dark-haired boy replies in a quiet voice.

"Be-cause," a girl drawls, rolling her eyes, "You lost the fight, stupid! Don't be a scaredy-cat,_ Lame-ass_ter!"

The small boy flushes with embarrassment as the others titter. "My name's Lein Aster, and I never said I wasn't gonna do it!" he nearly shouts, sliding off of the fence in a huff.

"Then go already, jeez! Mars wasn't so slow!" the larger boy jeers, giving Lein a light kick between the shoulder blades from his perch. Lein stumbles, but manages to catch himself.

"You're the stupid ones! And there's no such thing as ghosts!" And before they can reply, he dashes toward the building. He pauses at the entrance, a large white double door with cracked paint and, pursing his lips, shoves it open. It's less resistant than he expects and he tumbles forward, landing hard on the dusty wooden floor and ignoring the snickering and cat-calls from behind him.

Lein stifles a cough as he takes a breath full of dust, and immediately wishes that his pokemon was there with him. His eyes adjust to the darkness and the haze and directly ahead he sees dark room full of what looks like towering white ghosts. His breath catches before he realizes that they're just furniture draped in aged white sheets, though he would swear that some of them shimmered unnaturally once or twice. He swallows and tiptoes over, touching one tentatively to make sure. He finally dares to tear his eyes away from the eerie scene- a lobby, most likely- and scans the area hopefully for a way to the upper floors. Aw, no...

He is crestfallen as his eyes come upon the old grand staircase- ornate, certainly, for a hospital- as there is a gaping hole in the middle of it. The roof appears to have caved in overhead. Lein runs a hand anxiously through his hair and chances a glance back toward the entrance. No, he certainly can't go back out there with such a lame excuse after only a few minutes. There must be another way up. He slowly picks his way through the lobby, and then into a long shadowy corridor lined with hospital rooms. He trains his gaze forward.

There is no such thing as ghosts, and there are no dead bodies, not even in a hospital.

Lein reaches the end of the corridor to find a gaping hole in the wall where presumably a mechanical door had once resided. A single black cable dangles inside and he peers carefully in and up and makes out the silhouette of the elevator, hovering at the very top of the shaft where the third floor- the tower- would be. But why would it be at the top? Surely no one would take the elevator up and then walk down the stairs. But he quickly forgets the oddity as he spots a steel ladder going up the side of the shaft, no doubt for maintenence.

Lein takes a steady step onto the ladder and swings himself around the doorway. Piece of cake. He is just beginning his ascent when a curious noise reaches his ears. He quells his rising panic once he realizes it isn't the elevator about to crush him- no, it's coming from the hallway he just left. He holds his breath and strains his ears.

_tappatappatappatappa_

Lein frowns, puzzled. The sharp staccato noise continues, increasing in volume by the second.

_tappatappatappatappa_

It's no sound a person would make Lein reflects, paling upon the realization. Jerked out of his curious reverie he continues upward as quickly as he can without making noise- but he's too late. Whatever it is seems to hear his movements or his breath and quickens its pace. Lein hears it come to a halt just feet below him and, shaking slightly, he turns to face it.

Imagine a spider, black and nearly five feet tall, with six legs that arc up and then back down at the joints like upside-down V's, ending in needle-sharp points. Imagine a slender neck that juts up from the center of its body, where the legs meet, and a relatively small head with tiny shining obsidian eyes and a sharkfin-like protrusion on the back of its head. Its twisted gash of a maw widens, revealing hundreds of knifelike teeth- like a mouthful of shattered glass- as it emits an odd clicking sound, but it is the sharp pointed legs which make the tapping sound as it leans into the doorway, eyes fixed upon Lein.

They stare at each other for a moment. Lein's bottom lip quivers, but he doesn't dare to move- that is, until the creature lunges at the wall below him, now emitting a horrible screeching like rending metal that echoes piercingly in the narrow shaft.

The boy emits a bark of terror and scrambles up the ladder, hands and legs a blur as the creature easily overtakes him, piercing the sole of his shoe with one sharp leg. Lein squeals in fear and yanks his foot out of the shoe- he's so very close, nearly parallel to the second floor entrance now- and in an act of desperation he flings himself off of the ladder and away from the monster, grasping the single cable dangling from the suspended elevator.

The elevator lurches in protest as he swings precariously to the other side and, to his horror, right back toward the spider-monster, whose mouth opens in anticipation as he rapidly approaches. This time a scream escapes him and he lurches to the side to avoid the snapping jaws, losing his grip on the cable. For a moment he enters free fall, his stomach rapidly climbing his gullet as he continues to holler, hands clutching at the air before him.

By some miracle one hand manages to grasp the ledge of the second floor doorway shakily, and the force of the abrupt halt interrupts his scream. He pauses for a fraction of a second, his mind numb with fright and relief, before groaning with the effort of hauling himself up the ledge. The spider-monster is in no hurry to let her prey escape and she leans toward him, gripping the cable with her teeth to allow for one swift movement across the passage. She kicks off and swings across, digging one sharp claw into the floor inches from Lein's head. Taking this as great incentive he drags himself swiftly up and shimmies onto his side to swing his legs up, just as another of the creature's legs whips toward him with deadly accuracy-

_Crr-WHOOOSH!_

The elevator plummets suddenly from above, and barely a second later a deafening crash follows it along with a blinding, billowing wave of filth and debris. Lein scoots away from the shaft, shaking with a coughing fit, eyes streaming from dust and fear.

It is nearly a minute before he can open his eyes, and he nearly cries with relief when he sees that the monster is nowhere to be found. Instead, he draws his legs up and wipes his eyes with a sleeve, resting until his heartbeat regains a human rhythm.

How on earth am I going to get back down now? He wonders, sniffling. He finally stands, teetering slightly from exhaustion. It'll be okay. I can just ask the guys to get a grown-up. Dad's going to be so mad... He glances around, and is relieved to see a sweeping white marble staircase at the other end of a long hallway, leading up. He heads toward it. Not that they'll believe me about the monster, anyway...

On the second step he notices another set of shoeprints headed the same way, much larger than his own and looking to be decades old.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he dimly notices that there are no footprints leading back down.

They wouldn't dare leave, would they? ...No, they'll still be there, waiting for me to find the tower and the window. It hasn't been all that long.

The staircase gradually twirls upward in a tight coil, but he finally reaches the top of the tower. It appears to have been nothing but a small personal room, just enough room for two bulging bookshelves on either side, and a squashy red velvet armchair with the back towards him, facing- yes!- the half-moon window.

Lein lets out a breathy, tired laugh of relief as he moves toward it. The window is caked with filth and it filters the moonlight oddly, casting a dark bluish hue over the room and illuminating dancing specks of dust like fireflies and-

He stops dead.

There's something in the armchair.

He notices the top of a head- a human head, with dark hair- but caked with dust like the rest of the room, untouched for who knew how long.

There is a corpse in the armchair, Lein's mind produces, but he simply retches at the thought, covering his mouth with both hands. It's true- people died here-!

His breath quickens uncontrollably, muffled by his hands, as he gains control of himself. He edges to the side of the chair unbearably slowly, expecting at any moment to see the empty, gaping eyes of a skull and the grinning teeth-

The armchair groans suddenly. The resting figure rises from its seat, showering them both in dust. It turns around and-

"Ah," the man says, wiping the debris away from his face. Skin as pale as the moon, hair as dark as the starless night, eyes-

For a moment, Lein thought he had no eyes.

The man has eyes of such a deep red- no whites, no pupil, just a deep blood red- that they resemble chasms in the man's face, and Lein's mouth opens in a silent scream as the man moves closer and-

"Hello there," he says in the tone of a kindly grandfather addressing his grandchildren, "My, it has been a while. Would you mind doing a small favor for me?"


	2. They Who Thirst Not

They Who Thirst Not

_"Where deep in the desert twilight_

_Sand melts in pools of the sky_

_Where darkness lays her crimson cloak_

_Your lamps will call, call me home."_

_-Lorena McKennitt_

It was the 'ball that caught her attention.

At the end of a very long, agonizing and _sodamnhot_ day in the middle of the _godforsaken_ desert, there was absolutely nothing that Maya Astoph wanted to do more than crawl in her tent and possibly die. She was an archaeologist, not a desert sherpa- leave that nonsense to the trainers. But the ancient apricorn pokeball- light brown on the bottom half, dark brown on top- had the most intriguing, intricate designs she had ever seen before. In fact, in her recollection, she had never seen a pokeball decorated with anything more complex than a crude leaf or water drop.

Maya leveled her glasses with a practiced flick-of-the-thumb and bent to its level, ignoring the crick in her back and the protest in her calves.

The enclosed space was much like a closet in size and shape, but made entirely of sandstone. The sole light source was from the hole in the top of the chamber leading to the outside, but the constant sandstorm dimmed it substantially. Each of the walls was lined with shallow shelves.

By no means did she- or anyone, really- expect to make any great finds in the tiny sandstone chamber submerged in the middle of the Hoenn desert. Sure, they hoped for the usual: pottery, ancient jewelry and weapons, maybe even a skeleton or two. The bread-and-butter of any archaeologist's career. Hell, the most interesting thing she had ever found was a two-headed seviper skeleton.

But this, _this_ was something. What would possess ancient people to spend so much time and energy carving a pokeball? Certainly not just for decoration- an apricorn had to soak for nearly a fortnight before it became soft enough to carve. No mean feat in the middle of the desert, and the actual chiseling was difficult enough in itself. Not to mention how very intricate the design was, like woven lace (though the fact that the pokeball had shrunk a little over time helped to that effect- but the fine art in the markings was undeniable). She couldn't make out any underlying theme in the pattern, but there were bits that reminded her of things like an eye or a spiral.

Squinting, she absentmindedly drew her finest chisel from the pouch on her front- NOT a fanny pack, curse you, but an archaelogical pouch with all kinds of pockets and things for just these occasions- and began to gently separate the pokeball from its surroundings. It was difficult to tell in the dim light of the chamber, but she could only guess that it had once been resting on a sandstone shelf, not unlike those that surrounded her in the tiny chamber. But it was as if the wall had grown around and nearly engulfed almost half of the 'ball. No matter, just some gentle prying and- _ah!_

With a soft 'pop', the sphere pried loose. And she immediately dropped it.

With a small sound of horror she managed to pluck it from the air, just in time. It- it was crazy, but as she yanked the 'ball from the earth, she could have _sworn_ she saw- oh God. Yes, it was faint, but it was definitely there.

From the 'eye' of the pokeball, there was an ever-so-faint light emitting. The light that indicated life inside.

That... that simply couldn't be. These ruins were dated easily over 2,000 years. Maybe a ghost could live that long, but that was about it. She wasn't an expert on pokeball physics, but she was sure that once the pokemon inside died of old age, the light would go out. In fact, she was pretty sure that any pokemon with an ounce of sense would force its way out of the 'ball before too long. Surely...?

She looked again at the markings. She stared so hard at them that, eerily, she began to imagine the designs slowly weaving back and forth across the surface.

Or legends. Legends can live for thousands of years.

She looked once more into the eye.

All it would take was a flick of the wrist.

Two miles away, Lein Aster also dug in the sand, and for similar reasons. He wanted to find a fossil.

Lein has been a trainer for two years, though the term 'trainer' applies only very loosely to him. In two years, Lein has collected only four badges. It wasn't that Lein was lazy- quite the opposite, actually. He was simply too busy adventuring and exploring to worry about such trivial things as badges.

Lein has spent the past two years diving for coral, spelunking, visiting ancient ruins, collecting ash to make nifty pokeflutes, enjoying hot springs, catching, learning about, and releasing pokemon (many preferred to remain wild, but an equal amount respected what Lein was doing and agreed to tag along for an adventure or two. Others still preferred a more ambitious trainer, one who would gain strength and power. And yet another, one of his favorites, a swalot named Bellatrix that he had raised from a gulpin, had wanted to be a contest pokemon instead. He had done his best to make sure each of his former pokemon had their wishes fulfulled), among many other things.

Lein did not journey to attain Champion status, to become a gym leader, or even to become a good trainer. No, it was the _freedom_ he craved, and he had it in spades.

His hands were raw and sunburnt from the effort of digging in the rough sand, but he felt so _close!_ Something had drawn him to this desert, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something amazing rested just beneath the sand. He brushed his coal black hair out of his eyes- or rather, away from his protective goggles, over which silver-rimmed glasses had been placed. The overall effect was rather silly.

A huge lairon lay next to him, shielding his trainer from the brunt of the sandstorm. His head was bowed, perhaps in sleep. It was difficult for Lein to tell because his lairon's eyes were black, making them difficult to distinguish among the large dark holes in his armor. But then he let out a massive snort, creating a small sandstorm of his own.

"Sorry, Ein", Lein pleaded, "I know this can't be interesting. But I'm positive we'll find something here! It's so close..."

Ein snorted again roughly, but not before giving his trainer a comforting lick on the head. Why his trainer was drawn to such a hot, barren place, he would never understand. But then, he didn't understand most of his trainer's decisions. Humans were such fickle creatures. But after five years with his boy, they had come to understand each other well. Even though he couldn't always understand his decisions, he knew that Lein always had the best of intentions.

The trainer's backpack lay open next to him. inside the main pocket was a small blue-gray egg speckled with white, about the size of a human hand, nestled gently in a pink blanket. His trainer had gotten it in a trade with a foreign trainer, one who preferred contests. He rather missed Bellatrix.. Roy was hardly ever around anymore, and the other one... Well, his trainer already knew his views on _her_. He hoped that the new addition would be a pleasant one. The female contest-trainer seemed to think so, anyway, but gigglingly had refused to tell them what was inside.

He then turned his ponderous head toward the endless dunes. The sand sailed across the sky in sheets, painting everything a dusty yellow. Despite only being a mile or so from town, there was only sand to be seen in any direction. He wondered idly if this was what snow was like. He had never seen snow.

Ein was pulled from his daydream by several hard knocks to his side from Lein (who understood that Ein would never be able to feel anything like a gentle tapping through his ironclad hide).

"Look! I found something!" Lein said, grinning and thrusting a small, rock-colored object beneath his pokemon's snout. "I knew I would!"

_(... Fascinating,)_ Ein rumbled. _(Hey. What region do you think we should go to, next?)_

"Next?" Lein asked puzzledly, jamming the treasure into his back pocket.

_(We have been to every city in Hoenn. We should move on soon, if you have no interest in badges.)_

"I might grab the other badges!" Lein huffed, "and as for that, I'm not sure. Maybe Johto. It seems nice there. Why, you have somewhere in mind?"

The lairon tilted his head in thought. _(I'd like to see snow.)_

His trainer laughed. A clear, pleasant sound. "All right, Ein. We'll go somewhere snowy next."

Ein was just about to ask whether snow was hard or soft, but his trainer's attention was already elsewhere. The boy stared somewhere just past Ein, pointed wordlessly and quickly began to gather up his things as the lairon slowly turned to see what had disturbed his trainer.

Silhouetted against the sandstorm were the unmistakeable forms of nearly a dozen cacturne. Their oddly bent limbs appeared unmoving, but even at this distance he could see that they were drawing nearer. Even more uncomfortably, he noticed more emerging from the whipping sands. They were surrounded.

"Lovely. We were just about to leave, too. Ein, stealth rock all around us," Lein said briskly, drawing up his backpack.

Ein complied, but not before licking his trainer on the head once more_. (No need to be so worried, trainer. They're just scrowcares.)_

He was pleased to hear laughter. "Scarecrows, Ein. And thanks. Man, where's Roy when we need him?" he turned concerned eyes to the sky as various pointed stones rose from the sand, hovering expectantly in a large circle around them. This did not deter the oncomers.

Curiously, as the cacturne drew close, trainer and pokemon alike noticed that one of them had a long, thin yellow ribbon tied across one bent arm, which flaidly madly in the wind. It was this one who surged forward menacingly, scattering a handful of seeds at Ein- but gaining a substantial gash in its side as one of the floating rocks surged to greet it.

The seeds burst immediately into greenery upon contacting Ein's hard carapace, but he ignored them and instead turned to Lein, his armor gaining a metallic sheen as he raised his defenses for battle_. (Don't let the other one out. This will be dangerous as it is.)_ Lein raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue.

Ein suddenly released a deep, massive bellow that shook Lein to the core- he swore that the very ground quaked- and most of the cacturne skittered back away in reply. But the roar only seemed to incense the ribboned cacturne, who seized forward and landed a vicious punch to the side of Ein's head, scattering needles.

The lairon recoiled, but with a shake of his head, spun and lashed his tail into the cacturne's legs, causing it to topple over. It kicked sand into Ein's eyes with one quick movement and was back on its feet, its black-and-yellow eyes glinting maliciously from beneath its pointed 'hat'.

"Ein, look out!" Lein cried. The other cacturne had finally gathered to courage to approach Ein, and were flinging leech seeds of their own. The lairon was coated with green in seconds as he furiously pawed at the sand in his eyes.

The ribboned cacturne took the moment of distraction to approach Lein, who stiffened warily, hands raised in defense. "Hey. Calm down... We're not here to hurt you or your family. We were just leaving," he said in a hopefully calm, soothing voice. The cacturne stopped a foot away, narrowed its dark eyes and responded in a voice that sounded like the raspy winds of a sandstorm. "_Kshaaaaashhhhhhk."_

"I can't understand you," Lein replied, shaking his head. "What do you want?"

The needled arm seemed to whip out of nowhere. Lein just managed to block his face with a forearm and went sprawling into the sand, his arm coated in blood and needles. He gasped and writhed on the ground as the heat of pain shot up his arm unbearably, like lightning. The cacturne stepped over him, obscuring the sun.

"_Kshaaaaaarrrrrshhhhk,"_ it said, more urgently this time.

"_I- I don't understand you!"_ Lein shouted from his prone position, cradling his bleeding arm.

A look of disgust crossed the dark pokemon's face and he drew back his arm once more- just to be hurled to the ground and trampled viciously by a mighty upset lairon, its green limbs flailing. This time, the cacturne stumbled while getting to its feet, sand oozing from its many wounds. Ein circled around for another trampling, looking rather worse for the wear but certainly better off than his victim. "Ein, stop," Lein commanded, but to no avail.

Head lowered, Ein charged in for the finishing blow that never arrived. The cacturne disappeared in a burst of light, compacting into the form of a greatball. _(No!)_

Trainer and pokemon- the remaining cacturne included- froze, all eyes on the madly twitching 'ball. It gave several more violent jerks, and Lein was sure it would break open. But it suddenly became still, and after a moment, a red light identified capture. Did the cacturne give up? Without what he assumed was their leader, the other cacturne seemed to. Hissing, they drew back into the sands, much in the same way that they had appeared. Lein had more pressing matters to worry about, however, as Ein stormed toward him, all iron and fury.

_(Stupid, stupid trainer! You want half our team to consist of human-killers? What were you thinking?) _he rumbled menacingly.

"Relax. I just didn't want you to kill it, that's all." Lein said weakly from the ground, his good arm still cradling the other. "Besides, do you seriously think it'll want to join me?"

_(The other one did!)_ Ein snarled back, uncharacteristically furious.

"Ein, please... Look, we'll talk about this at the 'Center, okay? I'd kind of like to have this looked at," he said, indicating his bloodied arm.

Ein tossed his head in irritation. _(That one is not staying. I will make sure of that.)_

Lein sighed. "It was trying to tell me something. I just want to know what."

_(Nothing of worth,) _ he snorted. And then reluctantly lowered himself on to the ground.

"... Thanks," Lein said gratefully, and climbed onto his back. He immediately slumped forward, his head resting on one of the white protrusions on Ein's back, making sure to tuck his injured arm safely inside his jacket as the lairon began to move. He noticed with a cringe that his arm was coated in sand, not to mention still bleeding.

The nurses would be _thrilled_.

Lein didn't remember (passing out) falling asleep atop his mighty steed, but he _was_ aware of waking up in the Pokemon Center hospital ward with a shout, springing upright and elliciting a scream from the nearby nurse. His protective goggles had been removed, revealing startled black eyes and a slightly burnt face The large, surly woman recovered quickly and grabbed him by the shirtfront, pushing him roughly back down on the bed. "Relax, darlin'. You're all right."

Lein gasped under the weight of her grip. "B-but my lairon? And my egg? Is everyone okay?"

She released him, resting her fists on her hips instead. "Your lairon is in the waiting room. He didn't want to go into his 'ball. And your egg," she said, motioning to a small bundle of blankets at the foot of the bed with a smooth white-speckled blue surface peeking out from it, "is right there. So calm down." She turned to a smaller, more mousy girl behind her that he hadn't noticed. "Anise, make sure he's ready to leave," she said, and left the room.

With a sigh of relief, he then realized why he hadn't noticed her before. Her white uniform and white hair and skin blended in well with the sterile, empty room. "So, um, all of your things are by your bed," she said, pushing up her glasses. "We've removed the needles and sand from your wound, so keep it wrapped up and you'll be fine. Also, you and your lairon were dehydrated. You've recovered mostly, but make sure that both of you drink plenty."

"Yeah," Lein said sheepishly. "I didn't expect any fights out there. It's usually barren."

The girl merely stared at him. "You have a very loyal pokemon, to carry you through the desert like that."

Lein smiled. "I know." The pale girl nodded, and moved to leave.

"Oh, and Lein? We've been receiving calls for hours, all for you, even before you arrived. Very urgent. We promised you'd call once you woke up, so get the number from the front desk before you leave."

The waiting room was quaint, with a purply brown carpet, old-fashioned floral wallpaper and numerous potted plants. A receptionist's desk lay at one end of the room, and a line of vidphones at the other. Lein found Ein lying in the far corner of the waiting room beneath an open window, enjoying the gentle breeze. A bowl of water rested before him. "Ein!"

_(Trainer!) _he roared happily, getting to his feet. _(Are you okay?)_

Lein brandished his bandaged arm theatrically, "Nothing that won't fix itself! I hope I wasn't out for too long."

_(The silence was relieving.)_

"Oh, good. Then I needn't to bother you with any kind of thanks for, I don't know, hauling my sorry carcass back to town, or something about life-saving and whatnot."

_(Perish the very thought.)_

Lein nodded thoughtfully and crossed his arms. "I thought so. But, you know, I'll have to hug you. It'll make me look bad if I don't."

Ein bristled. _(Ahaha, no.)_

Lein crossed his arms slyly. "It may not come now. It may not come today. But you will get a hug, Ein. You won't even see it coming."

The trainer was spared the seething reply by an eighteen-ish girl with brown pigtails who shook him by the shoulder. "You're Lein, right?" she gushed eagerly, green eyes sparkling with- could it be? Adoration? "Come on, I've got the vidphone all ready for you!"

He was dragged to the line of video phones and placed roughly into a chair. "Okay, go!" she said, and skittered behind the receptionist's counter, still gazing eagerly at them. She was soon joined by the surly nurse he had startled earlier, who look rather flustered and excited as well, fluffing up the large blonde bun on top of her head. Then, it clicked. Lein facepalmed. "Oh jeez, it's _him._ What could_ he _possibly have to say to me?"

_(How intriguing,) _Ein said thoughtfully. _(He's never called us before. We mustn't keep his fans waiting,)_ Ein said from behind him, and pressed the call button. It didn't ring once before-

"Lein!", said the young man. Yep, just as he remembered. His sapphire eyes glowed with relief as he tossed back his wavy, chin-length golden hair. He had a face fit for magazines. The man seemed to _glow._ He heard the brunette girl make a strangled sound from behind him."I'm so glad you're all right!"

"Yes?" Lein deadpanned. "What is it?"

The man laughed broadly, "Happy to see me, as always! How have you been? I heard you were hurt?"

Lein sighed. "Nothing out of the ordinary. I'm fine. My team's fine. I thought you had something important to say?"

The man smiled sadly. "I see. Well, I'm glad to hear that. Not that I needed to ask, as I'll be seeing you quite soon," he added slyly.

Lein twitched. "Eh? W-what would bring you to Hoenn? Don't you... you know, have to look after the-"

"Nonsense, nonsense!" he interrupted, "_You're_ more important than_ that_. And it's not I who am coming to you, it's rather the opposite, in fact! You are getting a one-way ticket back home, to Ariellan!" he said with a flourish.

Lein let out a derisive laugh. "_Yeah_, right. There's a_ reason _I left. I like it here, and I'm staying here."

The blonde grew more serious at this. "Lein, it's too dangerous there right now. I need you to come home. Please? How long has it been since we've seen each other?"

"Not long enough." Lein replied baldly, and stood up. "Goodbye." Dangerous, please. Hoenn was no more dangerous than any other region.

As he walked away, he heard from behind: "I didn't want to do this, Lein, but... I promise, I'm doing this for you. _Silas._"

Lein froze._ He wouldn't..._

Not two feet in front of him, a stern gallade with a red sash tied around its waist popped into existence. Lein stumbled back as the brunette girl squealed, "Oh my _gosh! _It's Mars' _gallade_!"

Lein bolted. He headed straight for the open window, hurled himself out of it, and hit the ground running. He didn't have to look behind him to know that the gallade had followed. He snatched a pokeball from his belt and flung it behind him. "_Antigony, stall it!"_

Lein whirled around as an absol materialized, fur on end as she howled at the oncoming psychic. Antigony leapt, dark energy gathering around her in a whirlwind as she readied a fierce attack- and was immediately knocked out with one swipe of the gallade's blade.

Lein cursed, returning Antigony and sprinting away, his feet slipping on the damp morning grass. The psychic caught up in seconds and gave one of Lein's legs a solid kick, sending him tumbling to the ground and swearing again as his injured arm was jerked around roughly, trying to protect the tiny egg inside his backpack.

He scrambled to rise his feet, but a bladed arm at his throat kept him grounded. "_Stop_! Leave me _alone!_" Lein shouted. The gallade narrowed his eyes in rage and brought his face close. _(Child, you should be grateful that the Master is saving your sorry skin,)_ he seethed. _(I wouldn't.)_

Lein was about to retort furiously, but the uncomfortable sensation of being teleported drew his breath away.


	3. Of Recoil and Grace

A review! Joy! Sorry it's confusing. Now that the setting is established, hopefully it won't be, as much. Thank you very much for reading!

Of Recoil and Grace

In the clearing stands the boxer, and a fighter by his trade.

And he carries a reminder of every glove that laid him down...

or cut him 'til he cried out in his anger and his shame

"I am leaving! I am leaving," but the fighter still remains.

- Paul Simon, "The Boxer"

His back burst into unbelievable pain. He could hear the blood splatter across the ground even against the backdrop of rain. He fell forward soundlessly, his face suddenly cold against the wet grass.

The absol stepped into view, blood drizzling down the blade perched atop her crown. He noticed dimly that it was falling into her fur and slowly dying her head and face red. She looked him in the eye, her expression merely interested. She spoke to him in a soft, proud voice that he could not understand. She spoke of something ancient, something lost among all human recollection.

_She spoke of a promise. _

Lein landed hard on his knees, gasping the briny sea air. The rough grasp on him loosened as the gallade literally disappeared again. He looked up to see bright blue eyes and a broad grin against the backdrop of a clear blue sky. It took him a moment to realize that he was on a beach, the ocean sparkling merrily behind him in the fresh morning sun. This could not have happened. "_...Mars?_"

The blonde cheerily pulled him into a standing position by the upper arm as Lein spluttered incomprehensibly. "Welcome home!" he gushed as the gallade reappeared, Ein by his side, and hastily rejoined Mars. "I hope Silas here wasn't too rough with you."

Lein shoved him off with an indignant sound. "Wh... what are you _doing?_ Seriously, Mars? I'm pretty sure this is illegal, even for you! This is _kidnapping," _he finished viciously, ignoring Silas' low growl.

Mars chuckled, waving his hand airily, "Shush, Silas. Yes, I'm sure you're just dying to have the entire region know we're related. But believe me, I could do _so _much worse than bring you here."

Lein's eye twitched. "Oh?"

Mars' mouth twitched into a sly smile. "Let's see... After giving my deepest apologies to my dearest brother,"

"_Half-brother," _Lein interrupted with a hiss.

"Ahem," he said politely. "My dearest brother, giving my sincerest apologies for giving him a free ride back home- at this point, I might lightly insinuate that in your jealousy, you are attempting to smear my name- I will then vow to earn your forgiveness, no doubt by joining you in your quest to do... whatever on earth it is that you're trying to do."

... _Damn._ Having to leave Hoenn was _still_ a million times better than having to go _anywhere _with Mars_._ They were technically half-brothers, yes, but Lein could barely remember Mars during his childhood. Mars' parents had divorced early and the boy had gone with his mother before Lein was even born, and had since lead a charmed life. Mars' mother, Helene, was an extremely famous psychic with a talk show all to herself, shown in three regions. Combined with Mars' talent at training, they were certainly no strangers to fame or wealth. _Meanwhile, Lein the farmboy spends years trying to save up money to begin a journey..., _he thought bitterly.

Mars must have seen the incomprehensible rage in his expression, because his own softened. He drew a sizable blue pouch from his back pocket and held it out. "Here. There's a revive for your absol, some lunch, and a few other things. Take it."

Lein remained obstinately still. That is, until Ein gave him a headbutt from behind. _Traitor._ He reluctantly snatched the pouch, earning a genuine smile from his brother.

"It's good to see you, Lein. You look like you're doing well for yourself. Um..." Mars shifted a bit, in a rare moment of uncertainty. "Well, I think that's all. You're in Archipelago Sharlio. Port Sharlio is to the Southeast, very near to here. From there, you can get a ferry to the mainland. I'm sure you have questions, but... Well, you know where you can find me." He startled Lein by drawing him into a quick hug. He drew back beaming. "I have to head back now. Have fun exploring your homeland! Remember to be careful!" he finished, waving. Silas approached touched his wrist, and just like that, his brother was gone.

Lein sighed in frustration, rubbing his temples. As much as he hated his half-brother, it was hard to remain visibly furious at anyone when you happened to be on a picturesque beach. Sharlio was indeed an archipelago, one with islands so small that some were only yards across. Yet others were large enough to support a small town. The one that Lein currently presided over was somewhere in between, large enough to support scattered palm trees and a huge spire of black rock. Fortunately, the water rarely got deep on this side of Sharlio, and one could often slosh their way to the next island without incident.

It was just past sunrise and the peach-colored light played gently on the water's surface. In every direction there were a fistful of small islands and the massive structures of sea rock that Sharlio was famous for, spread across the land and water like hairs on the back of a vast beast. It was said that all of the rock was connected deep beneath the sand and formed a massive tunnel system. Lein oriented himself, finding southeast by the sun. Best to get to town before nightfall, and _then_ worry about their predicament.

Ein nuzzled his trainer's elbow. _(Trainer...)_

"What's up, Ein?"

_(Silas forgot to get Roy.)_

"Fuck."

Lein and Ein sat in the sand while Antigony, newly revived, crouched by the waterside. "All right, let's see what the arrogant prig gave us," he said, dumping out the contents of the blue pouch.

_(I don't see what you dislike about him so much,) _Ein stated.

"... Ahem. Let's see, there's super potions, turkey sandwiches- hmm, a book on training in Ariellan. And.." he picked up a small black device and flipped it open. "A cell phone, nice. With his number, _like that's going to happen_, and dad's. Bet it's on his bill, too- I'm not complaining. And- oh my God, seriously? Holy shit, _yes_!" He stood up triumphantly, only to fall back on his knees, laughing maniacally, clutching a larger white device with a big screen. There was a splash nearby and the absol pranced past, a krabby dangling from her jaws.

_(What is it?)_

"A digital storage unit," he replied, his voice full of emotion. "We don't have to carry heavy stuff anymore. We can even get a bike, and an extra blanket- and we can travel in the winter, we'll have room for the extra supplies- and _aghhhhh_, I almost forgive Mars. Almost. _Two years of carrying the food and the sleeping bag and clothes and potions and pokeballs and that damn pot..._"

_(Oh, good. I suppose this means that you'll be lighter, too.)_

"Yes. And now you have no excuse to carry me around at all times."

Ein decided not to answer. _(What do we do about the cacturne?)_

Lein bit his lower lip. "I... guess we'll just have to explain the situation. Then he can decide for himself. No time like the present, I suppose," he said tentatively, drawing the greatball and tossing it onto the sand.

The cacturne emerged with a hissing sound that reminded Lein of air being let out of a tire. Antigony drew close, eyeing him curiously. _(When did this happen?)_ she asked in her proud, melodic voice.

"It's a long story," Lein said shortly. "Now- er, do you have a name?"

The cacturne replied, and predictably, Lein couldn't understand.

_(He said, 'you may call me Nox,')_ Ein translated.

Lein nodded. "Okay, Nox. There's kind of a situation. I'm giving you the choice to stay with me, or return to the wild. But I can't take you back to the desert. We're in Ariellan, there are no deserts here, and I can't go back to Hoenn right now. It's possible that I might be able to find a trainer going there or something, but unlikely. Do you understand?"

The cacturne thought for a moment, then turned unexpectedly and said something to Antigony. The absol paused, then replied with a slow nod. At this, Nox addressed Lein again.

_('Release me'.)_

"... Are you sure? You think you can survive here, in the archipelago? It's very different from the desert."

_('Release me'.)_

Lein sighed and shrugged, "If you say so," opening Nox's greatball and snapping it at the hinge. "Sorry about all this. You're free, now. Good luck out there." Then he remembered.

"Wait, before you leave- what did you say to me, back there in the desert?"

The cacturne's gaze grew icy and- there was no other word for it- predatorial. _('I spoke of the promise, child.')_

And without another word, the cacturne left, whipping up a small, harmless sandstorm and disappearing with it. Lein shielded his eyes and turned to Ein. "What did he say to Antigony?"

_(He asked, 'will you remain?')_

After confirming that Antigony had never met Nox before (he supposed it was a dark-type thing?) and gleefully putting just about everything inanimate that they owned inside of the storage unit, they set out for Port Sharlio. Ein lumbered near the water (the wet sand supported his weight much better than the dry) while Antigony dashed around to anything of interest, climbing to the very tops of palm trees and harrassing packs of sunbathing seel and dewgong, her fur peach-pink in the weak morning sun. Flocks of wingull and ducklett circled lazily overhead, out of reach of either of his pokemon. Which was unfortunate because, as Lein mentioned with a sigh, he was down to only two usable Pokemon, both with serious weaknesses to fighting, and one mystery egg.

The scenery remained the same for most of the morning until they approached a group of fisherman at work. One of them, a very tall old man with a broad-rimmed hat, was taking a break and feeding the birds with pieces of his sandwich. It seemed like a good opportunity to ask how to go about catching a bird on the beach.

The old man paused, chewing thoughtfully. "Well, you won't be able to catch any decent sea birds with those two, but..." he paused to give Antigony, who was leaping impressively- but futilely- at the birds, a stern look. "There are rivhen in the rivers around here, and plenty of flockatiel and grifferth in the plains past Embrandt. I'd say that's your best bet in catching a bird."

Lein nodded gratefully. "All right. Thank you, sir."

They spied Port Sharlio by late afternoon without incident. The port was just barely large enough to qualify as a city, but bustling nonetheless. They overcame the size restriction by building _up._ Each building was at least two stories high and raised walkways were nearly as abundant as grounded ones.

Port Sharlio had countless ancient shrines and artifacts, and for this reason, was very popular among researchers. It was said that the shrines were dedicated to a legend who slumbered deep within Sharlio's immense cave system. Lein may have been an Ariellan native, but he had barely seen the area outside of Lancass. He knew immediately that he would have to visit one of Port Sharlio's ancient shrines.

But first things first. Lein visited the Pokemon Center, blessedly on the edge of town, facing the water. It was a sweet, homey little place with flower boxes hanging on the windows. There he somberly placed an ad for Roy, attaching a picture of him. The bird would be just fine, he knew, but he couldn't help but feel as if he had abandoned him, or something. Would the fearow notice? Would he come looking for Lein, only to come up with nothing? He didn't know. For being something of a part-time member of his team, Lein had grown rather fond of Roy and his lackadaisical demeanor.

After getting the bandages changed on his arm, he stepped back out into the dying sunlight. There was one last thing he wanted to do before retiring for the night. He released Ein and Antigony as he walked slowly uphill. The streets were fairly busy despite the hour- mostly shopkeepers and vendors headed home for the day, but the trainers were easy to spy- two boys with matching pelipper were chatting animatedly in front of the 'Center and a minccino played with a girl's long brown hair just ahead of him.

_(Where are we going, child?)_ Antigony asked with a hint of boredom, padding along beside him. Ein seemed more interested in the beautiful array of clouds above them, a dimming purpley-red in the nearly set sunlight.

"I wanted to see one of the shrines here before we left in the morning. Look, you can see it from here," he replied as they rounded a corner.

They suddenly faced the ocean, painted brilliant colors by the blazing crescent of orange-red on the horizon. The cobbled stone path lead nearly straight into the ocean, ending in a stone structure about twice the size of a phone booth, silhouetted by the blaze of sunset. Beautifully crafted pillars supported a simple peaked roof. Inside there was a pedestal and hanging over it was a large, solid bell. As Lein drew closer he realized that nearly every inch of the shrine was engraved with drawings, the largest and most intricate of them on the bell.

It was a large circle, divided into eighteen pieces like a pizza. Each 'slice' was decorated with what Lein thought at first were random designs. But as he looked closer, he noticed that one had hundreds of tiny leaves and snakes of ivy engraved into it. Another had hundreds of intricate snowflakes surrounded by icicles, and yet another had cresting waves. Perhaps they represented the eighteen elements?

As he came across one slice that appeared to portray floating boulders, he was struck with a memory. He drew a stone suddenly from his back pocket, the one he had found in the desert. It was vaguely oval or maybe diamond-shaped, with no distinctive markings and a dull grayish color. He pulled out his Pokedex for a quick reference, and found a page with pictures of all the known evolutionary stones.

_(Need some help?)_ Ein asked politely.

Ten minutes later, Lein, Ein and Antigony all crowded around the palm-sized stone, squinting at the Pokedex.

_(It's got the same shape as that one, but none of them has that grayish color.)_

_(Maybe it is dirty, child. Have you washed it off?)_ Antigony said dryly, in her exotic voice.

"Hm, that could be it. Let's-"

"That's a shiny stone," a voice stated suddenly behind them. They all jumped, and Antigony spun, hissing.

The speaker was a rather muscular girl around Lein's age, with honey-brown skin and a strong nose. A minccino perched on her shoulder, leaning over curiously and twitching its brush-like tail.

Lein was the first to recover. "It doesn't look very shiny to me," he said intelligently. Without warning she took the stone and, as Lein watched in unbridled horror, beat it mercilessly against the side of the shrine, nearly knocking the minccino off of her shoulder. But when she held it up to him he saw that it was indeed shiny and yellowish-green where pieces of rock had broken off.

"Look, see? I need it. I can trade."

Lein plucked the rock out of her grip. "Like what? I don't need any stones."

"I can give you a Pokemon you can't find around here," she said plainly, pulling back a strand of hair that had fallen out of her long, dark brown braid.

"Like?"

"How about a cute gothita?"

"Mm, I don't like psychics."

"Hooow about a tough scraggy, then?"

"My team already has a weakness to fighting."

She pursed her lips in thought, or perhaps annoyance. "A... sewaddle?"

This gave Lein pause. Would he ever really need a shiny stone? He couldn't even remember what pokemon needed it. He could sell it, sure, but he wasn't hurting for money. A new and foreign team member sounded like just what he needed- _and _a resistance to fighting, to boot. "Deal. I'll take a sewaddle."

"Phew. Tough customer, eh? All right. But the thing is, it's at my grandmother's house, and she doesn't have a phone or anything. She's a little... _old-fashioned._ But I'm on my way there, anyway. Do you have a phone?"

"N-yes. Yes, I do."

They exchanged numbers.

"All right. I'll call you when I get it. My grandmother has a bird, so I can fly to you then. Good luck on your journey."

"You too."

Night had fallen as they parted ways. Lein and his team went back to the 'Center, had their respective dinners (pasta for Lein, raw fish for Antigony and iron ore for Ein) and hunkered down on the couch as they waited for their room to open. Lein was appreciating just how sore a day walking on the beach could make one's calves as a special alert appeared on the television.

"There has been a massacre in the Hoenn desert."


End file.
